Weekly Highlights – Feb. 15

Monday

8 off 8th at the Mercy Lounge – 9pm
Well, well, well, if it isn’t everyone’s favorite weekly free show. This week it’s more like 9 off 8th (10 if you count the afterparty with Coach, who will be DJing). Have fun with Peter Barbee, Keegan Dewitt, Jeremy Lister, Kyle Andrews, Madi Diaz, Majestico, Space Capone, Slick, and Heypenny. I don’t see any mention of Rock’nRoll Trivia, so my guess is that it’s not happening this week. Does anyone know for sure?

Eric Schlosser Live at Belmont Heights Baptist Church – 7pm
Ever heard of a little documentary called Fast Food Nation? Well, that’s Eric Schlosser. He’s going to speak about the health, security and sustainability of our food supply. As an investigative journalist, Eric Schlosser tries to explore subjects ignored by the mainstream media and give a voice to people at the margins of society. His aim is to shed light on worlds that are too often hidden. Schlosser’s first book, Fast Food Nation (2001), helped start a revolution in how Americans think about what they eat.

Tracy Rapp discusses and signs Simply Southern with a Dash of Kosher Soul at Davis-Kidd Books – 7pm
Well, it’s a big night for food events. This cookbook will solve those “what’s for dinner?” requests you get each day. It also shares fascinating stories about Jewish life in the South. Inside, you’ll find nearly 300 recipes from fabulous cooks who show you how to add kosher soul to Southern cooking. I mean, it helps if you actually buy the book, but I’m sure Ms. Rapp will be happy to tell some stories and chat it up with you.

Tuesday

Longarm Quilting Seminar at Inn and Suites, 2350 Elm Hill Pike – 1pm
I already wrote an article about this here. Basically, the The American Professional Quilting Systems (APQS) Road Show team will make a stop in Nashville to conduct a free seminar about longarm quilting. I have no idea what makes longarm quilting different than any other type of quilting, but that’s the kind they’re teaching. The seminar is 3 hours long. To sign up contact Alison Bauer at 800-426-7233 or abauer@apqs.com

Presented by: Suhas Ketkar, Professor, Economics Department/GPED India (2002) Dir: Aparna Sen. This socio-political drama explores human relationships in life-threatening circumstances. A Muslim man accepts responsibility for a Hindu woman traveling alone with her infant son. When Hindu extremists stop the bus to search for and kill Muslims, will she accept the danger that comes with posing as a married Hindu couple, “Mr. and Mrs. Iyer”? In Tamil, Bengali, Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu with English subtitles. Not rated. 120 minutes.

Public Skate at Sommet Center – 5-7pm
Here’s your chance to lace up your skates and take to the same Smashville ice as your Nashville Predators! Admission is free to the public. Participants must bring their own skates (no rentals available). Enter through main arena doors at corner of Fifth Avenue and Broadway. Space is limited. Quick question, how many people in Nashville have their own skates?

Wednesday

Japanese Lunchbox Release Party at the Mercy Lounge – 9pm
Chancellor Warhol, of N.O.B.O.T.S. fame, has performed with everyone from the likes of Wale, Clipse and Afroman to up-and-coming rock bands, Hot Chelle Rae and Enjoy the Zoo.Chancellor will be playing live with Enjoy the Zoo. Also gracing the stage alongside Chancellor Warhol will be special guests, Future, Rio, Drupy, Boss of Nova, Robin Raynelle, Julie G and Ducko McFli on the 1’s and 2’s. Japanese lunchboxes containing limited edition items will be given away throughout the night. Wow that was a lot of copy/paste. Here’s the Facebook event.

Paul Burch at the Family Wash – 8pm
The Family Wash is a great restaurant and Paul Burch writes great music. Seems like a pretty good match to me. Coincides with this Record Club he’s starting, wherein you can get something like 20 songs over the course of the year for only $5. Yes. If you can’t make it this week he’s playing next Wednesday as well.

International Lens Film Series: Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion at Vanderbilt’s Sarratt Cinema – 7pm

Presented by: Andrea Mirabile Assistant Professor of Italian, French & Italian Department Italy (1970) Dir: Elio Petri. A Fascist police inspector slits his mistress’s throat, plants incriminating evidence, and reports the crime, but the police ignore the clues because of his high standing on the force. A jarring satire of Italian police techniques and a scathing meditation on the relationship between class and guilt. Winner of the 1970 Best Foreign Film Academy Award, features a score by Ennio Morricone. In Italian with English subtitles. Not rated. 112 minutes.

Decoding Green Labeling Systems Workshop at n-habit – 5:30pm
This short, free event is designed to clarify the many green labeling systems in the marketplace (Watersense, FSC Certification, GreenGuard, Green Seal and others). With the demystification of these various systems, consumers who want to buy green can make more effective purchasing decisions. N-habit is located at 2309 12th Avenue South.

Thursday

How about a Greener Spring at the Southeast Branch of the Public Library (Antioch) – 7pm
In this case “green” means money, and you KNOW how we here at N4F feel about saving money. Cell phone and internet service can eat up a significant part of a monthly budget. Telecom veteran Darryl Schoonover has saved more than $10 million dollars for his various employers and clients of all sizes. He has more than 128 continuing education credit hours in the ever-changing telecommunications industry. Schoonover shares his insider tips for saving money on your home phone, Internet, and cell phone bills at this informational talk.

Science Cafe: What Makes Us Happy at Fido – 7pm
Adventure Science Center’s monthly community Science Cafes at Fido Café in Hillsboro Village will explore the neurological source of happiness with Dr. David Zald, associate professor of psychology at Vanderbilt University. The discussion will include what makes us happy, whether people with lots of money happier than others, and whether some people are wired to be happy while others are wired to be unhappy. Dr. Zald will lead participants in examining the neurological aspects of happiness and how our brains respond to different situations.

The Vanderbilt Writing Studio Presents On Writing: Attack of the Bloggers at Vandy’s Writing Studio – 5:10pm
Are blogs the future of writing? Have they already been replaced by the tweet? How do you get readers to follow your musings on the virtues of Smartwool socks? Answers to these questions and more will be addressed by three of Nashville’s best bloggers. No, I’m not going to be there, wasn’t even asked. Jerks…You will, however, see Adam Gold from Nashville Cream, Sean Braisted from Nashville for the 21st Century, and Smith Yvonne Smith from the Travelling Vegetarian. Hey, Nashvillest isn’t there either. What?

Friday

Grizzlie Chicks at Play – 10pm
What do you get when you mix rugby with drag? Hilarity, I assume.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence lead by our very own auxiliary Sister Right Sarong aka Wade Jones are hosting this event for the Grizzlies. They have an amazing line up. They do need at least 3 Grizzlies to sign up to be dressed in drag for the evening. Please e-mail Wade at sister@rightonsister.org if you are willing. They are providing all the drag, they will just need your sizes. The sisters have also invited some out of town guests.

Chinese New Year at Discovery Center at Murfree Spring – 5-7:30pm
It’s the year of the Tiger dudes! Participate in the traditional Dragon Dance, create Asian crafts, and sample traditional Asian recipes in the kitchen. Remember to wear red for good luck. Woo culture!

Jammin’ at Hippie Jack’s featuring the legendary Dan Tyminski at the Tennessee State Museum – 6pm
On February 19th, the museum will host the last of four musical showcases for the television taping of the PBS series, Jammin’ at Hippie Jack’s. The show is filmed and produced by noted Cumberland Plateau photographer Jack Stoddart and is currently broadcast on PBS affiliate WCTE-TV in Middle Tennessee and in Nashville as well as over 130 other PBS affiliates across the country. You might know Dan Tyminski as George Clooney’s voice in O Brother Where Art Thou. That’s right, he sings “Man of Constant Sorrow,” and everybody loves that song.

Saturday

Surfer Blood in-store at Grimey’s – 5pm
I. Am. So pumped for this! Hailing from sunny Florida can certainly lend an uplifting feel to a band and Surfer Blood are no exception. They capture a vacation vibe with sunny harmonies, fuzzed-out guitars, reverb vocals, and catchy choruses, the boys make hook-filled indie rock with clever arrangements and superb harmonies. The songs contain a true feeling of skilled, but not overly polished songs, giving off a DIY esthetic. Their single “Swim” ranked as the #37 top song of the year on Pitchfork, which called it “2009’s best piece of Weezer-esque power-pop”. There will also be free beer, of course.

ITVS Community Cinema: The Eyes of Me at the Downtown Public Library – 2:30pmITVS Community Cinema is a series of monthly preview screenings of documentaries from PBS’ Independent Lens program, presented in partnership with Nashville Public Television (NPT) and Hands On Nashville. This month: The Eyes of Me. This extraordinary documentary follows the daily lives of students attending a school for the blind in Texas as they deal with the usual challenges of daily life—plus studies and dating and other rites of passage for teens everywhere.

2010 High School Battle of the Bands at Rocketown – 1oam-3pm
Wow, second week in a row I mention a Rocketown event…weird. Anyway, we don’t know who’s playing, but it doesn’t really matter because odds are you’ve never heard of any of these bands. Maybe these kids have talent, maybe they don’t, but hey, why not go?

Emily (Founder/Editor in Chief) : Emily is a graduate from Belmont University, where she majored in Music Business. She’s originally from rural Ohio, where there are many cows, a river, and one vineyard. Though she moved to Seattle in 2015, Emily maintains a love of both Nashville and free things, and is actively looking for contributors for NashvilleForFree.com. If you're interested, reach out to her at emily@nashvilleforfree.com.